I've realized that there is no perfect company. There is no perfect office with perfect people.

You're probably thinking, "Well, duh Mike. Of course there's no perfect company. Nothing's perfect."

True true.

But what about at least a Damn Good company?

I've been through quite a few companies, both pre- and post-college. And I've worked in some fantastic and fun environments with colleagues who become close friends.

But there are always a few bad apples in the barrel. And when the bad apples begin to outnumber the good apples, that's when I decide it's time to change barrels.

My current office is almost a dream come true. There seemed to be no bad apples at all. I was shocked. Could it be true? Could this be a perfect company?

Ah. No, unfortunately.

A couple bad apples seem to have jumped in.

I just hope they don't begin to multiply.

During an interview with another company, the interviewer told me about an article he read on company expansion.

He told me that if a small company sets out to hire the best people it can find, it has a chance of succeeding. But as it begins to grow, the very laws of probability and the definition of the word Best will mean hiring people of decreasing quality.

The Best mean the few top performers in the industry. After you've gotten all of the best people available, the next logical step is to start hiring from one level down. And when that level is exhausted, you go one more level down. And so on.

And thus you begin to dilute the quality pool in your company.

And thus a few bad apples get into the barrel.

It's inevitable, he said. No company can escape it.

There are some in my current company that believe they can escape it.

Oh well. Reality strikes back.

. . .

How do you like your company?